Sip-a-licious Facts About . . .TEA

Tea is one of the most popular beverages around the world and it would be easy to think that every day is International Tea Day. However, since 2005, International Tea Day has officially been observed on 15 December and I thought, why not share some of the facts that I have come accorss about this most loved beverage. So here goes:

There is an estimated 1,500 different types of tea.

According to legend, tea was discovered in 2737 B.C. by Chinese Emperor Shen-Ning, known as the “Divine Healer.” Purportedly, he discovered the beverage when tea leaves accidentally blew into his pot of boiling water.

All tea is made from the leaf of the plant Camellia sinensis.The specific types of tea are made by processing the tea leaves differently.

Though the Eastern world has been using tea for more than 4,500, tea was introduced to the West only 400 years ago.

There are two different words for tea:te-derived (Min, a historical Chinese language) and cha-derived (Cantonese and Mandarin). The word a specific country uses for tea reveals where the country first acquired its tea.

It is widely believed that iced tea was invented in 1904 at the St. Louis World Fair by Richard Blechynden, a British tea merchant. However, at least one late 19th century cookbook includes a recipe for iced tea.

While in older times it was customary to pour the milk first into a tea cup as a way to protect the surface of the china, tea connoisseurs say that is not necessary now. Instead it is better to pour the milk in after the tea because it is easier to judge how much is needed.

It takes around four to 12 years for a tea plant to produce seed. It takes about three years before a new plant is ready to harvest.